Seafood pinning apparatus



1954 J. 0. HICE ET AL ,698

SEAFOOD PINNING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 25, I951 I Q s Sheets-Sheet 1 I0 I:\q

1 I I l I I l I I l I I I I l I I l I I I I I I I I I l I l I I I l I I4I HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII=I ||I|IIIIIIII'IIIIIIII II ,rr'IIII II IIIIIIIIIII "l IIIIIIIIIIIIlIIllI IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII I I I I l l I l l l l I I l I I I I I I l H l l I lI l I l I l I l I I I l l I I 41 "IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII IIIIIIH I l I l lI I l I l I I I I I I IIIIIIILIIIIIII'IIIII HIIIIII IIIII IIIIIIIIl"IIIIfTIII I I /III/IIIIIIII! INVENTOR (/0. 24072015 z'oe Q James:[fl/aaciwfi (I I W9 ATTORNEYS SEAFOOD PINNING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 231951 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 is h v? v kn N INVENTORS N N (fa x on af-[z'ce FUR Ja mea JAJacZbwS ATTORNEYS SEAFOOD PINNING APPARATUS Jaxon Odell Hiceand James John Meadows, St. Simons Island, Ga., assignors to SeapakCorporation, St. Simons Island, Ga.

Original application February 23, 1951, Serial No. 212,271. Divided andthis application February 23, 1951, Serial No. 212,272

2 Claims. (Cl. 214-1) This invention relates to pinning apparatus foruse in preparing seafood for quick freezing and is a division of ourcopending application Serial Number 212,271, filed February 23, 1951 forMethod and Apparatus for he paring, Freezing and Packing Frozen Shrimp.

An object of this invention is to provide apparatus whereby the shrimpmay be suspended in spaced relation one to another so that thesubsequent steps of coating with batter, and meal, and the freezing ofthe coated shrimp may be accomplished with a minimum of handling andwithin a minimum time, so that the palatable fresh characteristic willbe retained.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved framestructure for supporting the pinning bars at the time the shrimp orother seafood are impaled, the frame structure also having provision forholding pin bar racks within which the pin bars are placed and the barsaccumulated.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved pin bar andrack structure which will hold a substantial number of shrimp insuspended relation with the shrimp spaced one from the other so thateach shrimp may be thoroughly and evenly breaded and may be individuallyfrozen and packed in frozen condition in containers without freezingtogether.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved pin bar andrack structure which will permit initial sizing or grading of theseafood so that the seafood passing through the subsequent steps willnot be wasted.

A further object of this invention is to provide apparatus which can beeasily maintained in sanitary condition.

A further object of this invention is to provide apparatus of this kindwhich will speed up the handling of the seafood in the initial andsubsequent steps involved in preparing the seafood for consumption.

With the above and other objects in view, our invention consists in thearrangement, combination and details of construction disclosed in thedrawings and specification, and then more particularly pointed out inthe appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view partly broken away of a pinning apparatus foruse in preparing seafood for quick freezing.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section taken substantially through thecenter of the apparatus.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 44 of Figure1.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 55 of Figure4.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 66 of Figure4.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary side elevation of one of the pinning bars.

Figure 8 is a sectional view taken on the line 88 of Figure 7 showing anarticle mounted on the pinning bar.

Figure 9 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 99 of Figure8.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 10 designates generally a framestructure which is formed of opposite side members generally designatedas 11 and 12. The side members 11 and 12 are formed of upright end bars13 and 14 and an intermediate bar 15. A lower longitudinal bar 16 isconnected between the end bars 13 and 14 and the intermediate bar 15.

United States Patent 0 A plurality of transverse lower connecting bars17 are connected between the lower bars 16 adjacent the opposite endsthereof and an intermediate connecting bar 18 is connected between thelongitudinal bars 16. A pair of upper connecting bars 19 and 20 aresecured between the upright end members 13 and 14 at a pointsubstantially below the upper ends thereof and an intermediate upperconnecting bar 21 is also secured between the intermediate uprights 15.

A guide rail 22 is secured to the inner side of each side member. Anupper guide rail 23 of angle shape is secured to the upper ends of theuprights 13 and 14 and intermediate upright 15 in parallel relation tothe intermediate rail 22. A pair of outwardly projecting pan supportingangle bars 24 are secured to the uprights 14 and 15, and a partitionedpan or tray generally designated as 25 is adapted to engage on the railsor guides 24. The guides 24 are connected together at their outer endsby means of a connecting bar 26 and are also braced by means of upwardlyand outwardly inclined bracing bars 27.

The tray 25 is formed of front and rear walls 28 and 29, respectively,and opposite end walls 30. A longitudinal partition 31 is securedbetween the end walls 30 and to a bottom wall 32. The partition ordivider 31 is formed with one or more drain openings 33 and the rearwall 29 is also formed with one or more drain openings 34. The articlessuch as shrimp or the like which are to be pinned to the pinning stripsas will be hereinafter described are adapted to be initially positionedin the forward compartment 35 formed between the front wall 28 and theparti-- tion wall 31. The shrimp or other articles which are discardedand are not to be pinned to the pinning bars are placed in the rearcompartment 36. The pan supporting rails 24 have secured thereto uprightchannel members 37 which are disposed outwardly from the adjacentuprights 14 and 15.

Each channel member 37 has secured to the inner side thereof a U-shapedpin bar supporting member 38 which is formed in the inner wall 39thereof with a slot 40. The pin bar supporting members 38 are inclinedto the vertical being inclined inwardly and downwardly as shown inFigures 3 and 4. A pin bar generally designated as 41 is adapted toengage in the slots 40 of the supporting members 38 and the pin bar 41is formed of an elongated flat metal strip which is provided at theopposite ends thereof with a cutout or rabbet 42 so that the upper edgeof the pin bar 41 will be flush with the upper edge of the supportingmember 48 and with the upper edge of the bar frame or rack as will behereinafter described.

A plurality of article supporting pins 43 are carried by each pin bar 41and project angularly upwardly and outwardly and are adapted to piercean article 44 as shown in Figure 8. The pins 43 are secured to the bar41 by forming slots 45 projecting upwardly from the lower edge of thebar 41 and forming the upper end of each slot 45 on an angle asindicated at 46. The slot 45 is then constricted by compressing the bar41 so that the pin 43 will be tightly wedged within the slot 45.

The pins 44 are adapted to be substantially vertical when the pin bar 41is disposed in the supporting member 38 as shown in Figure 3 so as tofacilitate the placing of the articles 44 on the pins. After each pinbar 41 has been filled with articles 44, the pin bar is disposed in arectangular frame or rack generally designated as 47. The rack 47 isformed of longitudinal channel members 48 which are connected togetherat the opposite ends thereof by angle members 49.

The channel members 48 are formed with spaced slots 50 within which theadjacent ends of the pin bars 41 are adapted to engage and the upperedge of each pin bar 41 is disposed flush with the upper edges of thechannel members 48. In practice as shown in Figure 3 the frame structure10 is provided with two pan supporting members on the opposite sidesthereof which are disposed in confronting position so that two personsmay work on the opposite sides of the frame, and the filled pin bars areplaced by each person within the rack or frame 47 after the manner shownin Figure 3. After one frame or rack 47 is filled with pin bars thefilled rack is moved to the left as viewed in Figure 2 so that an emptyrack or frame 47 may be placed between the operators disposed adjacentthe pans 25.

A pair of drain pans 51 and 52 are adapted to engage on the rails 22with one pan beneath the rack 47 which is being filled and the other pan52 being disposed beneath the filled rack which is moved to the oppositeend of the frame 10.

In the use and operation of this apparatus the shrimp or other articleswhich are to be frozen are placed in compartment 35, and a pin bar 41 issuspended between the confronting supporting members 38. The articles 44such as shrimp or the like which are in initially refrigerated conditionare mounted on the vertically disposed pins 43, and the smaller orundesirable shrimp are sorted out during the pinning operation andplaced in the rear compartment 36. When a pin. bar 41- has been filledwith shrimp the bar 41 is inserted in slots 50 of rack or frame 47.

The suspended shrimp as set forth in our copending application supra arethen coated with batter and meal and placed in a quick freezer where theshrimp or articles 44 are solidly frozen.

The apparatus hereinbefore described provides a means whereby the shrimpwill be individually suspended and spaced one from the other so thatduring the subsequent steps leading to the solid freezing of thearticles, the articles will not freeze together.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination a suspension assembly and supporting frame therefor, apair of horizontal guide rails carried by said frame, a pair ofoutwardly projecting inclined supporting rails carried by said framebelow said guide rails, a tray on said supporting rails, a pair ofvertical posts fixed to said supporting rails outwardly of said frame, aU-shaped holder on each post having the outer side thereof fixed to theinner side of said post, the inner side of said holder having a slotextending downwardly from the upper edge thereof, a flat pin barbridging the space between said U-shaped supporting members andremovably engaging in said slots, each bar having spaced slots in thelower edge thereof, the upper end of said latter named slots beinginclined to the vertical, and pins wedgingly engaging in said latternamed slots, said bar being distorted on opposite sides of the slotstherein whereby to tightly hold the pins therein, said supportingmembers being inclined to the vertical whereby said pins will bevertically disposed.

2. In combination a suspension assembly and supporting frame therefor, apair of horizontal guide rails carried by said frame, a pair ofoutwardly projecting inclined supporting rails carried by said framebelow said guide rails, a tray on said supporting rails, a pair ofvertical posts fixed to said supporting rails outwardly of said frame, aU-shaped holder on each post having the outer side thereof fixed to theinner side of said post, the inner side of said holder having a slotextending downwardly from the upper edge thereof, a flat pin barbridging the space between said U-shaped supporting members andremovably engaging in said slots, each bar having spaced slots in thelower edge thereof, the upper end of said latter named slots beinginclined to the vertical, pins wedgingly engaging in said latter namedslots, said bar being distorted on opposite sides of the slots thereinwhereby to tightly hold the pins therein, said supporting members beinginclined to the vertical whereby said pins will be vertically disposed,and a rectangular rack engaging said guide rails, said rack includingchannel shaped end bars having vertical slots in the inner wall thereofwithin which said pin bars are adapted to engage.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 354,208 OSullivan Dec. 14, 1886 415,399 Snow Nov. 19, 1889449,469 Ellington Mar. 31, 1891 551,403 Proctor Dec. 17, 1895 680,965Distelhurst Aug. 20, 1901 942,694 VVinton Dec. 7, 1909 1,294,946 PupillaFeb. 18, 1919 1,456,295 Bain May 22, 1923 1,461,946 Sievert July 17,1923 1,622,855 Warner Mar. 29, 1927

